15 Computer Lab Games That Will Make Zillennials Feel Ancient (2024)

Table of Contents
Between NFTs, deepfakes, internet surveillance, and brain-chip implants, technology these days feels more unsettling than innovative. I prefer to think about the time when being on the computer felt like a warm hug instead of a dystopian nightmare. Computer lab was the place to be in elementary school. I was thrilled every time I got to trade in my composition book for 25 minutes of gaming on that "sleek" and colorful 1998 iMac. So, let's celebrate some of the most memorable elementary school computer lab games: 1. Zoombinis were little blue creatures who relied on a player's ability to solve puzzles in order to escape to Zoombiniville after evil Bloats took over their home. 2. Kid Pix introduced generations of children to digital art. 3. Marble Blast was like the dessert of computer lab – you only ever got to play after finishing the actual lesson. 4. iSpy was also a great way to burn time after finishing up an assignment. 5. Oregon Trail was created back in the '70s so it's safe to say some variation of this game lived on your computer lab desktop. 6. Mavis Beacon Typing was a training system to help both children and adults with their typing skills. 7. Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? sent kids on a wild goose chase around the globe to find the thieving Carmen Sandiego. 8. Math Blaster followed Max Blaster (naturally), Galactic Commander, and their robotic dog Mel through a variety of adventurous math challenges. 9. Type To Learn was similar to Mavis Beacon, but set in space. 10. Bugdom allowed players to explore Bugdom (a kingdom of bugs) as a Pill Bug named Rollie in order to save kidnapped lady bugs from the evil red ants. 11. The Incredible Machine had students building elaborate machines out of random objects such as ropes, levers, bowling balls, and even cats. 12. Putt-Putt isn't just a fun way to play golf. It's also the name of a purple convertible who is the protagonist in a series of adventure based games. 13. Disney's Magic Artist Studio was essentially Photoshop for children, but with built in Disney settings and characters to create with! 14. Word Munchers was a vocabulary game where a muncher roams a grid looking to eat any word that matches the given category. 15. And, Crosscountry USA was designed to teach students about navigation through states and cities. Any computer lab classics I forgot here? Let me know in the comments! FAQs

    There's nothing like playing some "Marble Blast" after a hard day of learning to type.

    by Kat PickhardtBuzzFeed Staff

    Between NFTs, deepfakes, internet surveillance, and brain-chip implants, technology these days feels more unsettling than innovative. I prefer to think about the time when being on the computer felt like a warm hug instead of a dystopian nightmare.

    CNBC / Via giphy.com

    Computer lab was the place to be in elementary school. I was thrilled every time I got to trade in my composition book for 25 minutes of gaming on that "sleek" and colorful 1998 iMac.

    15 Computer Lab Games That Will Make Zillennials Feel Ancient (2)

    Kat Pickhardt

    So, let's celebrate some of the most memorable elementary school computer lab games:

    1. Zoombinis were little blue creatures who relied on a player's ability to solve puzzles in order to escape to Zoombiniville after evil Bloats took over their home.

    2. Kid Pix introduced generations of children to digital art.

    3. Marble Blast was like the dessert of computer lab – you only ever got to play after finishing the actual lesson.

    15 Computer Lab Games That Will Make Zillennials Feel Ancient (5)

    GarageGames / Via youtube.com

    If there was any educational value to this game, I would be shocked. Instead, Marble Blast was one of the more competitive games in computer lab. I used to compete with my classmates for the best times on the hardest courses.

    4. iSpy was also a great way to burn time after finishing up an assignment.

    15 Computer Lab Games That Will Make Zillennials Feel Ancient (6)

    Scholastic / Via youtube.com

    Being told computer lab was ending before finding what you were looking for was simply devastating at age 8.

    5. Oregon Trail was created back in the '70s so it's safe to say some variation of this game lived on your computer lab desktop.

    6. Mavis Beacon Typing was a training system to help both children and adults with their typing skills.

    15 Computer Lab Games That Will Make Zillennials Feel Ancient (8)

    The Software Toolworks / Via youtube.com

    Sure, Mavis Beacon was a fictional character, but I like to think of her as my business mentor.

    7. Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? sent kids on a wild goose chase around the globe to find the thieving Carmen Sandiego.

    15 Computer Lab Games That Will Make Zillennials Feel Ancient (9)

    Brøderbund Software / Via youtube.com

    Learning geography from a textbook is way less cool than hunting for an international fugitive. Players would get to virtually travel the world, talking to bystanders and collecting clues on the search for Carmen Sandiego.

    8. Math Blaster followed Max Blaster (naturally), Galactic Commander, and their robotic dog Mel through a variety of adventurous math challenges.

    15 Computer Lab Games That Will Make Zillennials Feel Ancient (10)

    Knowledge Adventure / Via youtube.com

    Math is boring, but math in space is super cool. I can't believe the snazzy graphics and fun characters actually fooled me into enjoying fractions...

    9. Type To Learn was similar to Mavis Beacon, but set in space.

    15 Computer Lab Games That Will Make Zillennials Feel Ancient (11)

    Sunburst Digital / Via youtube.com

    Kids apparently couldn't get enough educational space content back in the day!

    10. Bugdom allowed players to explore Bugdom (a kingdom of bugs) as a Pill Bug named Rollie in order to save kidnapped lady bugs from the evil red ants.

    15 Computer Lab Games That Will Make Zillennials Feel Ancient (12)

    Pangea Software / Via youtube.com

    If this game looks familiar, you probably had a fancy Mac computer lab at school. Bugdom came preinstalled on the second generation of iMacs in 1999. Or perhaps you're confusing it for A Bug's Life, which isn't too far off either.

    11. The Incredible Machine had students building elaborate machines out of random objects such as ropes, levers, bowling balls, and even cats.

    15 Computer Lab Games That Will Make Zillennials Feel Ancient (13)

    Dynamix / Via youtube.com

    Eat your heart out, Rube Goldberg.

    12. Putt-Putt isn't just a fun way to play golf. It's also the name of a purple convertible who is the protagonist in a series of adventure based games.

    15 Computer Lab Games That Will Make Zillennials Feel Ancient (14)

    Humongous Entertainment / Via youtube.com

    New Putt-Putt adventure games were put out every couple of years from the early '90s to the early '00s so there was never a shortage of challenges to try in computer lab.

    13. Disney's Magic Artist Studio was essentially Photoshop for children, but with built in Disney settings and characters to create with!

    15 Computer Lab Games That Will Make Zillennials Feel Ancient (15)

    Disney / Via youtube.com

    This game had some rockin' tunes. There was something so satisfying about watching Goofy break it down on the beach, even if his dance moves were limited.

    14. Word Munchers was a vocabulary game where a muncher roams a grid looking to eat any word that matches the given category.

    15 Computer Lab Games That Will Make Zillennials Feel Ancient (16)

    MECC / Via youtube.com

    I'm not the best at vocabulary, so I guess you could say my muncher was on a diet!

    15. And, Crosscountry USA was designed to teach students about navigation through states and cities.

    15 Computer Lab Games That Will Make Zillennials Feel Ancient (17)

    Ingenuity Works, Inc. / Via youtube.com

    The invention of the GPS certainly made the hours I spent planning truck routes across America seem pointless.

    Any computer lab classics I forgot here? Let me know in the comments!

    15 Computer Lab Games That Will Make Zillennials Feel Ancient (2024)

    FAQs

    15 Computer Lab Games That Will Make Zillennials Feel Ancient? ›

    The adventure genre is the favorite for players of Gen Alpha, Gen Z, and Millennial generations. That's not the end of the story; racing games and battle royale games are also grabbing their attention.

    What kind of games do millennial generation members prefer? ›

    The adventure genre is the favorite for players of Gen Alpha, Gen Z, and Millennial generations. That's not the end of the story; racing games and battle royale games are also grabbing their attention.

    What is the oldest game on computer? ›

    The first computer game is generally assumed to be the game Spacewar!, developed in 1962 at MIT (Stephen Russell a.o.). Spacewar originally ran on a PDP-1 computer the size of a large car.

    What is the kids math computer game from the 90s? ›

    Number Munchers (1990) & Word Munchers (1991)

    Number and Word Munchers are simple, with players moving the Muncher around the grid, eating words or numbers that match the prompt up top.

    What is the computer ball game in the 90s? ›

    JezzBall is a video game originally published for Microsoft Windows in 1992. The player must capture parts of a rectangular space by dividing it with horizontal or vertical lines. While each line is being drawn it must not be touched by bouncing balls. JezzBall has similarities with Qix, a 1981 arcade game.

    What games did Millennials grow up with? ›

    For millennials, video games have simply been a staple of growing up. The PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo are just a part of life. Video game marketing is and has long been everywhere, and games like Mario, Madden, and Call of Duty dominate the conversation.

    What is the oldest modern game? ›

    The Global Favorite: Mancala

    Mancala is likely the oldest continually played game in the world. Though evidence varies, and the rules of mancala tend to change according to different regions, the game's first genesis came around 3000 BC.

    What is the world's first game? ›

    The Royal Game of Ur

    The Royal Game of Ur is the oldest playable boardgame in the world, originating around 4,600 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia. The game's rules were written on a cuneiform tablet by a Babylonian astronomer in 177 BC.

    What game did children play 100 years ago? ›

    In celebration of the Easter Rising 1916, first class children have been learning 'How children played 100 years ago'. We had fantastic fun playing games such as Queenie I-O, Hopscotch, Donkey, The Alley Alley-O and Skipping!

    How to find old games you can't remember? ›

    If you don't remember the name of the game, you can try searching for it by keyword. For example, if you remember that the game was a puzzle game, you could search for "puzzle game". You can also try looking through your Google Play order history. To do this, open the Google Play Store app and tap on your profile icon.

    What is the computer game creatures 90s? ›

    Creatures is an artificial life simulation packaged as a video game developed by British studio Creature Labs for Windows, and was ported to Macintosh, PlayStation, and Game Boy Advance. It is the first game in the Creatures series.

    What is the old computer game with fuzzy balls? ›

    In Chuzzle, the player is presented with a 6×6 board of multi-colored fuzzballs called "Chuzzles" coming in eight colors. Moves are made by dragging rows and columns.

    What is the computer game that was launched in 1980? ›

    1980 saw the release of a number of games with influential concepts, including Pac-Man, Battlezone, Crazy Climber, Mystery House, Missile Command, Phoenix, Rally-X, Space Panic, Stratovox, Zork, Adventure, and Olympic Decathlon.

    What was the first mainstream computer game? ›

    Early history (1948–1970)

    Spacewar! is credited as the first widely available and influential computer game.

    What is the most popular game for Gen Z? ›

    The younger generations have wholeheartedly embraced video games. And no matter what platform they play on, the favourite game for Gen Z is Call Of Duty, according to a North American survey.

    What genres do Millennials like? ›

    Unlike generations past, millennials aren't loyal to any specific music genre. Instead, they pride themselves on being open-minded and constantly discovering the new, with 84% stating that their music tastes span multiple genres.

    What do Millennials like the most? ›

    What do Millennials value most? Millennials value experiences, personalization, authenticity, and transparency. They appreciate companies that are socially and environmentally conscious, and also value flexibility, communication, and collaboration.

    What entertainment does Gen Z prefer? ›

    Gen Z is highly engaged with technology and media, prioritizing activities like streaming video, music, and gaming. They are less interested in traditional TV and radio, instead favoring digital experiences like podcasts.

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